Assistant Buyer - Hybrid

1w1 week ago

Designer Brands

Columbus, US · Full-time · $50,000 – $70,000

About this role

Designer Brands leads the footwear industry as parent to DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and others, with nearly 675 stores and a billion-dollar digital business. Iconic brands include Topo Athletic, Keds, Vince Camuto, and Lucky Brand. As Assistant Buyer, you'll shape assortments customers love, supporting buying decisions that impact sales, inventory, and in-store experience.

Partner closely with the Buyer to turn strategy into action through day-to-day execution in the buying office. Analyze performance, track orders, support vendor communication, and help the team react to business trends. This hybrid role reports to the Sr. Buyer and thrives on curiosity about retail trends.

Support spans analytics, buying execution, assortment planning, and vendor collaboration across teams. Work cross-functionally with Planning to localize assortments and align distribution strategies. Manage processes like OTB tracking, order entry, and outdate recommendations with data-driven insights.

Grow behind the scenes of merchandising toward owning a piece of the business over time. Designer Brands fosters collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity, anchored by core values like 'We Love What We Do' and 'We Belong.' Put your best foot forward in an omni-channel environment.

Requirements

Analytical skills to interpret retail selling reports by style and color
Familiarity with Open to Buy (OTB) management and order tracking
Ability to prepare business performance recaps with actionable insights
Experience providing competitive intelligence and trend analysis in retail
Proficiency in accurate order entry and attribute selection for assortments
Knowledge of localizing assortments based on store sales trends
Cross-functional collaboration skills with planning and vendor teams
Detail-oriented execution in merchandising processes like reorders and closeouts

Responsibilities

Analyze selling reports and share insights by style and color to support buying decisions
Prepare recaps of business performance, including recommended actions, for weekly share-outs
Provide competitive intelligence, trend observations, pricing insights, and style analysis
Manage Open to Buy (OTB) changes and maintain accurate tracking
Enter orders accurately, selecting appropriate product attributes and following assortment strategy
Localize assortments by store group using relevant sales trend information
Support preseason and in-season execution to ensure timely key item deliveries
Communicate directly with vendor partners on purchase order deliveries

Benefits

Hybrid work arrangement based in Columbus, OH
Culture of collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity
Core values including 'We Love What We Do' and 'We Own What We Do'
Part of a robust omni-channel infrastructure and national wholesale distribution